Show-worthy sheep

MANAWA – A Manawa FFA student received first place in sheep production proficiency, a competitive award for the FFA within the state and she will be moving on to the national competition this fall.
Olivia Tomko-Santos recently graduated from Little Wolf High School and she is walking away with a first place win at the state level with the Wisconsin FFA.
“It was absolutely amazing, I almost started crying,” Tomko-Santos said in reference to finding out she won.
According to Katie Cink, a representative from the Wisconsin FFA Center, there were 40 applications submitted in this section, which included a supervised agricultural experience (SAE).
Sandy Cordes, the Manawa FFA advisor, said the proficiency award is a lengthy, 18-page application that records the SAE, which includes hours worked, goals, competencies gained and photos throughout the project.

“Olivia is a great example of how hands-on experience and passion can lead to outstanding achievement in agricultural education,” Cordes said. “Not only has she been responsible for the day-to-day care of her flock, she has volunteered countless hours helping mentor other students and sharing her knowledge about agriculture.”
Tomko-Santos said she has been showing sheep at the county fair before she joined the FFA. When she moved Manawa she became involved in the organization.
“I knew that FFA was something that I wanted to do because it has to do with agriculture and leadership and what’s better than that?” Tomko-Santos said.
Tomko-Santos attributes her interest in raising and showing sheep to her mother, who also competed in showing sheep while growing up.
Tomko-Santos said initially was not super excited about this new potential hobby. She said she started to enjoy taking care of her sheep, brushing and washing them, as well as showing them in fairs.
“Oh-my-gosh, they are a handful, but I love them,” she said.
She said she feeds them twice a day, and with this you have to be careful, because lambs will not stop eating, saying there is nothing internally that alerts them to being full.
There is also the preparation of creating a sheep to show, which she said starts by picking the mating pair.
Tomko-Santos said this is what her project was focused on for the sheep production proficiency.
“Breeding sheep and providing those who aren’t really versed in the sheep industry a show-worthy option,” she said. “That’s what I like to focus on, taking the skills that people have taught me, people took a lot of time to teach me things and help me out so in that way I’m giving back is kind of how I like to think about it.”
Tomko-Santos said she is also helping younger exhibitors with their sheep, sometimes even coming to their houses to check in on them and helping them through important steps in raising their sheep.
She said the win came as a surprise, as she placed second last year in the same category, she was hoping to at least be able to get on stage, which is something reserved for the top five winners only.
“My mom and my advisor had helped me so much, so that was really exciting to give back to them and be like their hard work paid off too,” Tomko-Santos said. “I was elated, it was insane … it’s like a euphoric feeling.”
Tomko-Santos is heading to DePaul University this fall in Chicago and is planning a double major in political science and environmental science.
She said she has a track scholarship and will be participating in that as well, and currently she is revising her application to be turned in for the national competition.
The Manawa FFA has a very rich history in the Manawa school system, with a strong history of success in the district.
“Our FFA chapter’s success is rooted in the strong support we receive from our school and community,” Cordes said. “I’m fortunate to work with a group of dedicated students who truly embody the mission of growing leaders, building communities, and strengthening agriculture.”
Cordes also attributes the continued success to the students themselves, saying Tomko-Santos is a great example of the hard work and determination to overcome challenges to continue to make her students successful.
“What I’m most proud of is how our students consistently come together to support one another and serve others,” Cordes said.